where are the smelt at??????????????

[bribri76]

Has anyone seen any smelt in good numbers in the cowlitz??????????????

[Born to be Wild]

In the ocean! :grin:

Will let you folks know if I hear of some though.
Too cold to play with those little guys.

[jokester]

bribri,

Like Danno said, you're about a month or two too early. They're still out in the salt.

-jokester

[TonTo]

They'll get here soon enough,I like to hit it early though,nothing like getting that first one of the year ,might have to work for em but it put's the sport in it, who wants to get their limit in a couple dips.It's just too damn cold out there now though so I think I'll stay right where I am for the time being but when I find one I'll let ya know.Of course I may be guilty of starting some of those, they're here rumers so ....umm ...maybe you should just watch for the gulls :tongue:

[Fshklr]

a pilot run has been seen in the cow last week..usually 1st week in feb is a for sure! will be putting up some freshies as soon as they arrive and temps go back to above 40...hmmm maybe now is a good time to try..they would be flash frozen fresh!!

[Born to be Wild]

Actually jokester I was being the jokester with my “in the ocean” comment. :grin:
I didn’t say a month or two early as I believe they are due anytime to the best of my memory.
I just moved here from Depoe Bay but I have got a few smelt up here at various times.
Seems like they normally show up the later part of January or early February but don’t recall for sure.
Seems like they can show up any time now?

Anyway I will post as soon as I hear of some if someone else doesn’t beat me to it.

Yea Feeshkiller, I thought of that one last night.
If only you could get them vacuumed sealed before they froze. :grin:

The other Dan (The one with the big yellow dog) :grin:

[TonTo]

Sure sign it's time to get out the net is when it starts looking like the wild kingdom out there with all those sea lions and huge flocks of gulls.Got a freind that goes down by county line waits for a ship to go by then picks em up off the rocks.

[Reel Fun Fish'n]

Smelt you say?, my log tells me that not this weekend but the next the 17th would be a good time for a scout trip, specially if the weather moderates.
I know I'll be on the Cow Saturday morn aleast for a look. ( net and wadders in the truck, just in case)

[jokester]

Dan,

For some reason I was thinking that they came in closer to the end of February/1st of March Well now...that makes me a little more excited knowing that they're closer than what I originally thought :grin:

-jokester

[Sore Back]

I checked our 03 calendar and see we dipped two limits in the Cowlitz at Longview on February 5th.

As it is quite a trip for us from Netarts, unless we hear a lot of good reports we will probably wait 4 more weeks.

Sore Back

[bribri76]

Smelt are in the columbia river.I caught a couple of sturgeon the other day with smelt hanging from there mouths. I was fishing by the kelly point area.The boat next to us did the same thing.They are in the big river.The temp in the rivers must be just right.

[LuckySteelhead]

They main run in the cowlitz can vary from year to year as much as 1-2 months. Its hit as early as january or as late as march in the past.

[Uglygreen]

When they enter the tribs depends a lot on water temps - later when its colder (this year) earlier when its warmer (last year). Start looking after the big thaw.

UG

[ 01-09-2004, 06:58 AM: Message edited by: Uglygreen ]

[Riverliver]

Thank you for all the info guys